Donald William Hahn, age 97 ½, went quietly and peacefully to meet his Lord Thursday morning, March 17, 2022.
Visitation will be Monday, March 21, from 9-11. Mass following at St. Joachim.
Don was born July 5, 1924 to William and Anna (Sternot) Hahn and was the oldest son of 7. He had a remarkable memory, being able to recall vivid stories from when he was only 4, his time in the war, or on the family farm. Don was hard working, selfless, and so very grateful for everything he had in his life, namely his faith and family.
He attended Pleasant Corners Country School and graduated 8th grade from St. Joachim’s in 1938. Don then began to work on the family farm full time and drove a milk truck with his brother Arnold. At 17, while attending a dance in Richfield, he met the love of his life: Anna Weinfurter. Later that year he went to work in Milwaukee doing factory work. It was in Milwaukee where he was drafted into the Army. On September 25, 1943, he was married to Anna in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Don received training at Camp Craft, South Carolina; Fort Meade, Maryland; and Camp Shanks, New York. He was then transported by boat (the Il DeFrance) to Scotland and received additional training in England. For the two weeks preceding D-Day he waited near the English Channel before hitting the beachhead at Normandy on June 7, 1944 (D Day plus 1). He served in five campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was injured twice; which required hospitalization from shrapnel wounds. He achieved the rank of Staff Sargent and was decorated with the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, Combat Infantry Star, two Purple Hearts, Campaign Star, and Bronze Oak Leafe Cluster. He was discharged August 7, 1945.
After returning from war: he and Anna purchased their first home and farm for $3,200. He farmed and worked full time at several companies: Consolidated Papers and the Port Edwards Mill being two of them. His starting wage was 93 cents an hour; a topic he loved to talk about. Then in 1969 he concentrated solely on farming. In 1974 he went into partnership with his son Jack and continued farming until the age of 73.
Donald served as director for ten years at Farm Credit Service and Seneca Sigel Insurance. He was a delegate at Foremost Farms. He was voted “Outstanding Young Farmer” twice and was a member of St. Joachims Holy Name Society, American Legion, VFW, and DAV.
After retiring, he and Anna spent more time going dancing(most often polka and waltz), traveling, going to the casino, doing woodworking projects, reading, and baking his special cookies and bars. He enjoyed going for breakfast with family and friends. His proudest accomplishment was establishing the Veteran’s Memorial in the Pittsville Catholic Cemetery.
We hope you always get that one extra blueberry in your pancake in heaven. We will miss your “Thanks for coming, and love you”. We love you and miss you deeply!
In Lieu of flowers, any donations will go toward maintaining the memorials.
